UN / CHILDREN ARMED CONFLICT

09-Jul-2018
00:02:50

The Security Council adopted a resolution that provides a framework for mainstreaming protection, rights, well-being and empowerment of children throughout the conflict cycle, as well as in sustaining peace efforts. UNIFEED

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2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Various shots, vote
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund:
“If we fail to prevent violations against children today, we fail to prevent violence against children tomorrow. Today’s children will grow to see violence and conflict as normal, acceptable, inevitable. Think of children who have grown up knowing nothing but war. In his lifetime, a seven-year-old Syrian child has never known a peaceful Syria. An Afghan teenager has never known a peaceful Afghanistan. And consider what the children of South Sudan have endured, and continue to endure, as they mark their country’s seventh year of independence today.”
6. Med shot, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict:
“I am profoundly shocked by the appalling number of grave violations perpetrated against children last year. Over 21,000 violations were documented by the United Nations representing a significant increase compared to last year. Each and every one of them led to unspeakable suffering for children, families and entire communities.”
8. Med shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Yenny Londoño, Consultor de Jóvenes Desvinculados:
“We once again give thanks for allowing the voice of children and adolescents victims of armed conflict to be heard in this space and we hope that they will be taken into account. We asked government not to see us a problem, but that instead we are given the opportunity to demonstrate that we can act as changemakers, such as the Youth Consulting Group has done in Colombia.”
10. Wide shot, Council
11. Pan left, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven walks up to podium
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister, Sweden:
“We have some 357 million children in conflict. And that is a failure for the whole world community. We also saw last year an increase of 35 percent of children that was expose to grave violations against them. So, we may disagree on a number of issue, but we must definitely agree that every child exposed to this living in conflict and war is a failure and this needs to be changed.”
10. Pan right, Lofven walks away

STORYLINE

The Security Council today (09 Jul) adopted a resolution that provides a framework for mainstreaming protection, rights, well-being and empowerment of children throughout the conflict cycle, as well as in sustaining peace efforts.

After the vote, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Henrietta H. Fore, said “if we fail to prevent violations against children today, we fail to prevent violence against children tomorrow.”

Fore said “today’s children will grow to see violence and conflict as normal, acceptable, inevitable,” and noted that children in Syria, Afghanistan, or South Sudan “have grown up knowing nothing but war.”

The Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, presented the Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict and expressed shock at “the appalling number of grave violations perpetrated against children last year.”

She said “over 21,000 violations were documented by the United Nations representing a significant increase compared to last year. Each and every one of them led to unspeakable suffering for children, families and entire communities.”

Also addressing the Council, Yenny Londoño, a civil society representative from Colombia and a former child soldier, asked governments “not to see us a problem, but that instead we are given the opportunity to demonstrate that we can act as changemakers, such as the Youth Consulting Group has done in Colombia.”

Outside the Council, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said, “we have some 357 million children in conflict. And that is a failure for the whole world community. We also saw last year an increase of 35 percent of children that was expose to grave violations against them. So, we may disagree on a number of issue, but we must definitely agree that every child exposed to this living in conflict and war is a failure and this needs to be changed.”

Sweden holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July and is the sponsor of the resolution.